Horror Tropes & Cliches: The Ultimate Guide

Ever read a horror novel about a haunted house? What about a story involving an ominous warning from a creepy stranger? If you’ve ever read a horror story, chances are that you’ve experienced a trope or a cliche and didn’t realize it. What is a trope? What is a cliche? And how can you keep them from appearing in your writing? Let’s dive deeper into the world of the macabre to discover whether you should use tropes or cliches, and how to do it effectively if you so choose.

Definition Time

According to Merriam-Webster, a trope is defined as a common theme or device. A cliche is something that has become overly familiar or commonplace.

That’s Great, But What Does It Mean?

A trope is a theme or plot device the reader easily recognizes and is commonly used in the genre. Readers have experience with these themes or plot devices and enter into the story with built-in expectations, even without realizing it. That haunted house story I mentioned earlier? That’s a trope. I’ll bet you were able to imagine the type of story I was referring to without much effort. Built-in expectations aren’t necessarily a negative thing, though you should proceed with caution.

A cliche is simply an overused trope. Have you ever seen Scary Movie? Most of what they poke fun at in the horror genre is cliche-based. A hero or heroine running up the stairs instead of out the front door didn’t become a cliche for no reason. It was a writer/creator-based lack of imagination that caused it.

Trope Examples

Below I’ve listed some common tropes. Obviously, this list isn’t comprehensive, so feel free to add any of your favorites in the comments.

• Haunted objects. An object is in some fashioned linked to the spirit of the deceased.
• Inclement weather. When things turn spooky, how come the thunderstorm always comes rolling in?
• Abandoned/remote places. Places that either haven’t been touched by anyone in years or are far from anyone else.
• Creepy children. What is it about children that scares adults?
• Accidental summoning. Whether it’s a spirit or a demon from the fiery pits, you can always count on ignorant youths to summon them.
• Ghosts and hauntings. The lingering spirits of the deceased and the chaos they cause.
• Creepy small towns. Maybe it’s the watchful eyes of the citizens, but small towns with a secret they are desperate to keep are always recurring.
• Twist ending. You think you’ve got the story figured out. Then the writer pulls out the surprise you should have seen coming.
• Forgotten trauma. Something that’s hinted at throughout the course of the novel but is never fully explained until the climax.
• Return of the prodigal son/daughter. We’re all from somewhere, and sometimes we have to go home, even if we don’t want to.

Honorable mention goes to the writer main character. It’s not a horror specific trope, but a fiction wide one. Why do we insist on having a main character that’s a writer? The reader doesn’t care. Yes, the main character in Reel Ghosts was a writer, despite it not being a necessity. We need to stop it already.

Cliche Examples

• Splitting up. When the proverbial cow dung hits the fan, you can count on large groups to form into smaller groups (as an introvert I find large groups terrifying).
• An ominous warning. Whether it’s a neighbor, a friend, or a note from an unknown source, writers love an ominous warning.
• Bad guy that won’t die. We mostly see this in movies, but I’ve read a few books where the bad guy came back for one more surprise. It’s overdone, guys.
• Technology that suddenly doesn’t work. Whether it’s a cellphone that doesn’t work or a car that was previously running like a well-oiled machine, suddenly won’t turn over. It’s better to leave this alone, though I’ve done possessed versions of these devices.
• Dreams that serve no purpose. There’s nothing more irritating than reading an entire chapter only to have the M.C. wake up in a pool of sweat at the end. It’s a cheap trick to get a scare without incorporating it into the plot. You can figure out another way to get a scare out of the reader while delving into the M.C.’s psyche.
• Evil clowns. Apparently, I wasn’t the only writer that loved Killer Klowns from Outerspace as a youth.
• Bad police work. Why is every police force in a horror novel either filled with Barney Fife or Dirty Harry.
• Unbelieving friends and family. Why doesn’t anyone ever believe the M.C.? There must have been some sus behavior going on before the opening page.

I know some of you will quibble with the placement of a few of these examples. That’s part of the fun with a post like this. What do you think I got wrong? I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments.

How To Avoid Writing a Cliche

It can be difficult to keep the idea you once thought was original from turning into a cliche. Often it happens by accident. Here are a few tips to keep your story from seeming cliche:

• Read widely. There’s only one way to avoid writing a cliche and that’s to be familiar with the horror genre. You can only achieve that by reading.
• Be original. When in doubt, go against conventional horror tropes to surprise the reader. Readers won’t expect it, and that’s the idea. Who wants to read a predictable book?
• Avoid unnecessary plot twists. Have you ever read a book that had so many twists it left you dizzy after finishing? Your readers deserve better.
• Focus on atmosphere and character depth instead. Who needs twisty plots when the writer has left you with chills?

How to Write a Trope Without It Becoming a Cliche

So, you still want to write that vampire story despite it being such a heavily used trope that it’s untouchable? As the guy that wrote a novel about a haunted object, I won’t stop you. I will, on the other hand, give you some advice. Here are a few tips for writing a trope:

• Subvert expectations. Use the reader’s knowledge of the trope against them by doing the exact opposite of what usually happens in other stories.
• Give the trope a twist. Are you writing a story about a vampire? Can I be honest? Enough stories about the bloodsucking variety have been written. For me to pick up a novel about a vampire, it’ll need to be good. Turn that bloodsucking vampire into a psychic-vampire feeding on the emotions of a man mourning the loss of his son and I’m in (this is a short-story I wrote years ago).
• Change the perspective. There are common tropes told from a certain perspective, like a new couple doing a remodel of an old house that happens to be haunted, for instance. Boring, right? Write that story from the perspective of the ghosts that don’t know they’re dead and I’m in (I’ve read a novel in which this is the plot but can’t remember the title).

Examples From Fiction

• Cell by Stephen King. This is King’s take on the zombie apocalypse trope. In typical King fashion, he added his own twist, cell phones. The novel was released in 2006, when worries about cell phones causing cancer were running rampant. Cell phones causing the zombie apocalypse is a good example of adding something new to a trope, while exploiting societal fears at the same time (isn’t that what we try to do as horror writers?).
• Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix. The physical copy of the book looks like a catalogue for an Ikea furniture store. That isn’t by accident. The novel takes the haunted/cursed building trope and puts it in a furniture store.
• Reel Ghosts by Stephen M. Roth. I wanted to write a ghost story but didn’t want it to be set in a house. I spent my early twenties working as a projectionist and assistant manager at a movie theater, which meant I spent a lot of time alone in a dark theater. I always wanted to write about those spooky vibes. As an added bonus, I also tackled the trope of the haunted object, which was a film reel. My twist? There’s a serial killer hellbent on getting the reel back.

Those are just a few of the examples that come to mind when I think about horror tropes handled in an interesting way. Obviously, mine stands out next to the bestsellers of the genre. The premise was better than the execution in my case. What novels stand out to you that handled horror tropes in a new and creative way?

Conclusion

There are tropes in every genre of fiction, enemies to lovers in romance and dystopian societies in science fiction for example. Horror fiction is no different than any other genre. It’s the utilization of those tropes that is important. If you handle the trope in a creative manner, fans will devour each page and want more. On the other hand, if you forgo putting your own spin on it, you leave the reader’s interpretation open to that dreaded word, cliche.

A smart horror writer will utilize the trope to set expectations without having to do the heavy lifting of explaining the situation. There’s nothing wrong with using those expectations against the reader by flipping the story on its head. That’s just good writing.

Thanks for reading,

Stephen M. Roth

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